1. Field of the Invention
The technical scope of the invention is that of devices enabling close-in defense ammunition to be fired.
2. Description of the Related Art
Close-in defense ammunition is ammunition to ensure the protection of armored vehicles or fixed structures.
This ammunition is well known. It generally incorporates a rigid casing that encloses at least one projectile. This casing is integral with a base that is itself able to be joined by linking means to a firing base integral with the vehicle. More often than not, this linking is produced by a bayonet-type mounting. Patent FR-2612287 discloses such ammunition (smoke-producing ammunition).
This close-in defense ammunition ensures the defense in the short and medium range of the vehicle or the structure carrying the firing base. Manufacturers have developed a whole range of ammunition to fulfill different functions: smoke-producing, decoy, non-lethal crowd control, explosive . . .
The use of this ammunition is at present limited to vehicle defense. Even if there are fixed firing bases enabling this ammunition to be fired, namely to defend a site, these firing bases generally have a fixed elevation aiming angle.
The suggestion has not yet been made of enlarging the field of use of this close-in defense ammunition for vehicles to an implementation out of the vehicle by an infantryman to ensure, for example, an emergency firing back-up function.
Today, back-up firing support is ensured either by artillery means or by light mortars that have specific ammunition.
However, for operational reasons it may be necessary to ensure such firing back-up functions by a group of infantrymen out of an armored vehicle who don't immediately have such relatively heavy and cumbersome means available to them.